#byler coming together as adults who know themselves and what they want and need .. who are no longer bogged down by shame and the need to

[bylertruther]

hello by adele aka a mike pov byler song in an au where things don't go well and they become estranged. mike moves to california bc his company has a job opening there and he could use a fresh start as well as the bigger paycheck, but also because it maybe possibly reminds him of someone he hasn't talked to in ages, but whose art still hangs on his walls and whose voice still rings in his head whenever he's being too hard on himself or being irrational. he's a few wine glasses in, just sitting on his balcony, when he dials a number he knows by heart still, not expecting it to still be will's or to even get through to anyone at all, but as fate would have it..... an achingly familiar deep voice answers and well . Well

[onstoryladders]

Do you know those early 2000s to mid 2010s shows with 26 episodes per season and full of filler eps where one of the characters like, learns to play soccer or whatever, just for that to never be brought up again for the whole of the show?

If stranger things was one of those shows, what filler episodes would you write?

(originally sent this to foodiewithdahoodie but it was so great I'd love to see more answers now)

THIS IS SUCH A COOL ASK GDBDJDBDNDGDG

Alright so I would definitely use those filler eps to explore different relationships and dynamics! I would hate to let them go nowhere tho 😭

These ideas are mostly funny, with a 2000s sitcom/Disney Channel show vibe gdvdudbsb

❀ THE OBLIGATORY SPOOKY EPISODE

This could be set on a Halloween night, but whatever works! The kids find themselves in a spooky situation, maybe they decide to explore an abandoned house or get stuck somewhere and get scared because they think there are ghosts or something gfbrkfbdy this would be the kind of episode where the audience sees unlikely pairings working together after being separated from the others (imagine Madwheeler... it'd be hilarious!).

The ending would be left ambiguous. Are there ghosts in the house? Who knows 👀

❀ OBLIGATORY VALENTINE'S DAY EPISODE

Will works on a mysterious paintings for Valentine's Day and Mike is seething with jealousy... until he realizes that the painting is actually for him. But of course Will gives him some bullshit excuse like "I wanted to celebrate our friendship because that's love too!" (valid sentiment in general but not for THEM) and good ol' oblivious Mike doesn't suspect a thing.

The others realize it's bullshit immediately.

ALTERNATIVELY Mike is used to Will and himself not receiving anything for Valentine's Day, so he decides to leave an anonymous message/some chocolates in Will's locker, but then he realizes Will's actually already received some... because we all know Will pulls a lot of bitches 🙌🏻 so he's sad and jealous. And then Will leaves an anonymous message for him too! And maybe something makes Mike realize who the sender is and so he smiles to himself as he reads... 🥰

❀ THE JOB HUNT

Steve decides to quit his job and needs the help of his friends to find a new one. Disasters ensue, and in the end he begs his previous employer to get him back – absolutely nothing changes lmao

❀ THE FUNDRAISER

This is a must. The Party needs to get money for something important, and they come up with a ridiculous way to do it, potentially against the older teens' will gdbdbdhd I can imagine them doing something really dumb and Nancy and the others having to fix their mess before any of the adults find out. Siblings bonding episode!

❀ THROUGH HOLLY'S EYES

An entire episodes narrated through Holly's eyes! Through her interactions and the things she sees and hears in the Wheeler house. Byler crumbs 👀

❀ THE SECRET

A character has a secret and does whatever they can to keep the others from finding out, but one of their friends find out and they have to promise not to spill the tea and to help them. Lucas, Max and Dustin as a focus for this one would be great!

❀ THE BABYSITTER

Someone is stuck working as a babysitter and chaos ensues. I imagine Steve as a character who does 54747473 different jobs like Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig 💀 and he just ends up at the Wheeler house because Mike's parents don't trust him. So of course Mike has to find a way to get out of Steve's sight, and well... The Party is just waiting for an excuse to wreak havoc anyway 😈

They get in trouble and have to work together of course, so when the Wheelers get home they find all Mike's friends there and Steve like 🧍🏻‍♂️

❀ SCHOOL HEIST

Max and Will have a very bad grade in a subject at school, and an important test is coming up, but neither of them are confident in their knowledge and so Will proposes to steal the answers!

Bonus points if they're not just doing it for the good grade, but also because they made a bet with the others that they wouldn't fail it lmao

Also it'd be hilarious if they got stuck somewhere and had to ask for help 🤣 and El finds them but she wants to tell the truth and so in the end Max and Will have to buy her silence lmao

❀ THE MAKEOVER

El gets asked out on a date but she has no idea what to do and Max isn't there. Luckily Nancy decides to help and gives her a makeover, but she also help her understan what she really wants and also that she doesn't have to go on a date if she doesn't want to!

So in the end they stay home and watch a movie or something gsgvdg and maybe there's a scene where El does Nancy's hair in a cute style 🥰

THIS WAS SUPER FUN TO WRITE THANKS!

[beepboop358]

My Byler theories/predictions for S4

Since s4 is already confirmed to not be the last season, I don’t think Byler will officially get together in s4. I do think that we are definitely going to get a large amount of Byler’s development in s4 though, we just aren’t at the finish line yet. Since Byler has been being developed all through each of the seasons, I think the writers are playing the long game with Mike and Will. I really appreciate a queer romance that is so well developped, especially in something so popular! I think the season will end on a note where it’s understood what Mike has been struggling with, It’s made known that Will is gay, and that Mike has feelings for Will, and Will has feelings for Mike.

My predictions/theories for Byler in s4:

Mike might be acting a little off at school and Dustin is going to notice his odd behavior and ask what’s up

I think Mike will be getting in trouble at school and at home (based on whenever he doesn’t have Will/El around he does stupid things - like graffitti the bathroom wall, plagiarize essays, curse at adults, etc.) I don’t know if Mike knows about Eddie dealing drugs, but he might and he might get drugs from Eddie and do them to cope with everything he is struggling with. His parents might ground him for doing drugs, and forbid him from going to visit the Byers, and then we could get our runaway smalltown boy montage! LOL

Lonnie might come to visit the Byers in California for Will’s birthday. He will probably show up because he thinks they have money now, or he wants to sue Starcourt like he wanted to sue the quarry in s1. Mike will also be there visiting for Will’s birthday. Lonnie will mock Will and make fun of him like he always did, but he will also hate Mike. Lonnie will definitely notice Will and Mike’s dynamics and he will definitely comment about it. He might even call them homophobic slurs like we know he used to do with Will when he was younger. Lonnie will probably make Will cry and Mike upset. Lonnie might possibly “out” him and Mike before they are out and confirm it themselves. Some of the movies on the stranger writers twitter for s4 also hint at this, as well as having the baseball references. There are also hints to Will’s birthday throughout the show: The rainbow happy birthday mug seen in the crazy together scene, the “sorry i forgot your birthday card” in Will’s room from Lonnie, and Joyce’s speech in the shed discussing Will’s 8th birthday and his “rainbow ship”. Jonathan also mentions how Lonnie made him kill a rabbit on his 10th birthday and he cried for a week after, just more hints that if Lonnie shows up for Will’s bday, it’s gonna be bad.

Mike might get Will a watch for his birthday. This would reference the clocks being central to the s4 plot, and “not wanting things to change/turning back the clock” in Hopper’s letter

Will is being homophobically bullied at his new school again, possibly references to Will having HIV/AIDS because the height of the epidemic was in the 80’s and it was very stigmatized

Mike will call Will more than he will call El. Will might be slightly surprised by this, El’s frequent calling will annoy Mike and he might turn off his walkie talkie. (basically the reverse of what Mike said would happen in the s3 ending mileven scene)

Mike and Will will be in the same location for most of the season, like s2. They will not leave each other’s sides for the majority of the time they are together.

S4 Group Predictions:

- El, Will, Mike trio together with Jonathan and Argyle. (we will get some obvious tension between El, Will, and Mike, and Mike will hate Argyle at first)

- Robin, Steve, Erica, Max, Dustin, Lucas, Vickie, Eddie, Nancy

- Joyce, Murray, etc?

- Hopper and the other Russians (Dimitri, etc)

The rift between Mike and El will continue to grow.

When Mike comes to visit, she will notice he seems much more interested in Will.

El will ask why the bullies call Will those things (queer/fairy/gay/homo, probably f slurs too), what it means and if he really is “a queer”.

I don’t know if Will is going to come out to El. They have never interacted before, and I doubt Will trusts her or really likes her much mainly, because of Mike. Unless they get super close during the time not portrayed on screen between s3 and s4, or by being all each other has in California, I don’t know if  he will come out to El. I could see this going either way depending on how their friendship develops. I definitely do not think Will is going to tell El he likes Mike, even if he does confide in her he is gay. I think she will find out eventually but in some other way, probably just from Mike’s behavior towards Will.

El will eventually realize she doesn’t actually love Mike and let go of the ‘romance’ aspect of their bond, but still highly value him as a friend.

Mike might be called homophobic slurs at school as well. Mike will definitely be teased (regardless of his sexuality) because he is in the hellfire club and since satanic panic is sweeping the town, people look at D&D as if it is a satanic game, and he will be teased because of that.

Based on the leaked bts pics, I have a theory a cheerleader, or someone else, might show interest in Mike.  Mike will not reciprocate and she will call him out for it asking why he doesn't like her because “any other guy at this school would” or something like that, maybe even ask “what are you gay or something”. It would certainly be good for Mike’s narrative but idk if it will happen.

Will may confide in Jonathan about his feelings for Mike and the things the bullies say to him at school. Jonathan will be supportive of Will, as will Joyce. I think he will also try to protect Will from Lonnie and they will both defend Will to Lonnie.

I think we need a scene of Mike with his Mom telling him to follow his heart, like who you like, etc. because life is too short to waste it being miserable or something like that. This could be inspired by Mike’s parents seperating, but idk. This could also encourage Mike to initiate more romantic things with Will.

I would love to get a scene of Will confronting Mike for “Joining another party”, after Will said he wouldn’t.

Will and Mike need to discuss what was said in their fight.

I think since Mike's been holding in a lot of turmoil and struggling with his sexuality for so long we might get a small breakdown scene from him, of him telling Will he’s really sorry for how he treated him last summer, and for all the things he said to Will. Mike will profusely apologize and also hint at how he’s confused and been dealing with a lot.

I think Mike will be the first one to break down and confess he has feelings for Will and has been struggling with coming to terms with his sexuality.

Once Will has confirmation Mike is also struggling with his sexuality, Will might come out to him. I would love for him to reference the fight being like “You were right. I don’t like girls.” (from @itsonlystrange ‘s 4x07 byler script it’s so good!) I don't know if Will will confess he likes Mike to his face or not. I don't think it's likely given how shy Will is and how afraid he is of Mike not reciprocating, but who knows.

Mike may initiate a kiss between him and Will - towards the end of the season probably (eyewitness parallel - explained in my byler proof google slides)

I think Mike and Will might write letters to each other, with some love-y connotations. There is a lot of evidence for this in the canon comics of them writing notes to each other, and that cryptic tweet from stranger writers twitter with a blocked out message and the date Will went missing saying it wasn’t about a couple or hopper. Maybe byler related? This tweet may not be a letter but it might be. The most popular theories are that the message is to Will, “love mike”, which I love. https://twitter.com/strangerwriters/status/1184945905973153792?lang=en

Will has a new haircut (bts pics) and Mike will gush over it. Maybe some gay-panicking too hopefully

I think El will be either physically or at least emotionally distant the entire season from the other kids (again following the pattern of even and odd seasons) El needs some personal development this season, since she didn’t get any in s3.

El might confront Mike and ask if he is gay and if he likes Will, which could be El’s motivation to go off on a journey of her own to learn more about her own life. I don’t think it will be a huge fight, but El might make some references to him always lying to her. I think Mike might just kind of try to talk his way out of it at first, but he will eventually break. This might be a two part discussion and Mike doesn’t admit she is right until later. I don’t think it makes sense for El to be heartbroken (explained in my byler proof slides), just slightly annoyed. This is based off of the movie Tootsie which they borrowed the “gift” idea from in s3 already. In the movie, the girlfriend then after receiving the gift asks “Michael” if he is gay.

I really think eventually El will realize it’s okay because she doesn’t love him romantically either, and once she realizes that her own personal development can really begin.

I think we will see a noticeable change in Mike’s demeanor. I think Mike will mainly just be trying to hide that he is gay now. He joined the hellfire club so we know he’s playing d&d again meaning he is reverting back to his true self, not the weird act he put on in s3 trying to be straight and change himself. He is still struggling, but he knows he likes Will. Regardless that doesn’t mean he is going to be super clear about how he feels. He is going to be extremely afraid of opening up and then getting hurt by Will. He will probably do some of his usual ‘lead Will on and then shut it down’ thing. And I really want Will to call him out on this. This could also lead to Mike breaking down in front of Will and confessing. I think we are going to get a lot of 'Mike gay panicking' moments, he's going to be extremely afraid of being found out/suspected.

Byler things I really want to happen that we may get because they would have narrative significance:

I really want flashbacks to those 3 months of summer between the starcourt explosion and the Byers moving, of moments between Mike and Will when they hang out alone together, with some obvious romantic tension. Like where they are super playful and almost kiss, or they are kind of touchy, or something in the realm of that. I think we need a flashback of something that explains Will’s flirty nature at the very end of s3 with Mike, because he doesn't normally act like that. I want noticeable “is something going on with them?” vibes. This could also happen during the thanksgiving/christmas flashbacks.

I hope we get flashbacks of Mike going to the Byers for Thanksgiving, and the Byers coming back to Hawkins for Christmas. Preferably of some Mike and Will moments that hint at Mike’s confusion or how he feels “so alone” without Will, maybe with some “crazy together” references too! I’d also love some tension between the 3 of them, maybe this is when El starts to get suspicious of Mike liking Will.

Hopefully we get some shots of Mike biking past the byers old house and going to look at castle byers and reminiscing.

I’d love to get a flashback of Mike the day the Byers moved away, of him crying or being upset, alone in his room/basement while looking at Will’s drawings or pictures of Will and him together. Mainly to confirm for people that Mike was upset about Will moving, not as much El.

This one does not seem super probable, but it is a very popular theory. Idk if it’s possible because of location logistics, but if they spend enough time together, I’d love for Mike to get to know Robin better, and Will too. Maybe once everyone comes together at the end of the season, she will notice their dynamics and could help guide and inspire them to be themselves. Hey maybe thats for s5 :) But I do think it’s a possibility that Mike may work at the video store with Steve and Robin, and she will pick up on Mike’s behavior and understand, whether she communicates that to him or not.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Just wanted to swing by and say how much I love your blog! It's rare to get such a grounded, adult perspective on ST. Even rarer for Byler. Blogs run by younger fans are often too modern in their expectations - I've seen people claim Byler will openly date or even marry. In the 80s! And there's a lot of tumblrspeak about "disaster gays" and "smol beans" that just makes me uncomfortable. Maybe I'm too old for it but it feels fetishizing and demeaning of the characters. You're much more respectful

“ I appreciate that would be a divisive thing to post, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you being the adult in the room. You know what you're talking about, and it shows. Even the way you go back and forth on how canon Byler will be matches my own feelings and is refreshingly honest, in a landscape that demands people pick a side and pretend to know it all. It's an annoying feature of Tumblr and I like that you resist it and just give your honest opinions in the moment.” I don’t know if these two Asks are from the same person, but they’re similar and came in around the same time, so I figure I’ll respond to both together.

First, thank you. I appreciate that I can bring a different perspective to the fandom and that you enjoy it.

I make no attempt to be “the adult in the room,” but I do try to be an adult in the room. I feel like everyone has a perspective to bring to the discussion. Some may be, hm, more superficial than others, but I don’t think that makes those posts any less valid, per se. Still, I can see where you’re coming from. I’m not going to condemn the younger fans, as I probably would have been somewhat similar were I still that age, but I would be lying if I said there weren’t posts that I found frustrating and/or counterproductive.

To address concerns specific to the first post, I’ll say that the attitudes of younger Byler fans reflects a modern acceptance of gay teens. I can’t say that I get on board with the terminology, but I can see some nuance behind it. Sometimes it might be minimizing the characters into tropes, but other times it might also be a sort of identification with the characters. If it helps people explore themselves or the world of LGBT identity, then I’m all for it.

At the very least, I don’t think most of those people are trying to be disrespectful. They really don’t have a good understanding of what it would be like to be gay back then, but I see that as a good thing. When I stop to think about it, I feel pretty good seeing that people are so comfortable talking about gay teens that they’ll use such casual language about it. Yeah, it does seem like they don’t take the issues seriously, but that means there’s an opportunity for learning that I hope they’ll take.

Byler may not openly date or marry in the “present” time of the show, but I find it nice that younger fans see it as normal enough to think so. I think older fans such as myself should take that as a point of contrast that tells us that even if Mike and Will would have to be together in secret, the modern climate would allow the writers to show us. Besides, there could always be a epilogue.

Regarding the second post, I think the stubbornness (for lack of a better term) of many people online comes from the fact that we tend to create our own echo chambers. We use tags and join communities to largely target an audience that we think will support us. Dissenting views become less and less common, which results in an echo chamber that serves to reinforce itself. I’m not directing that at any person in particular, rather it’s an observation of social media itself. I actually think Tumblr is a bit better with alternative ideas than, say, Twitter or Reddit.

Still, I think there’s room for improvement. There’s always room for improvement. People can get carried away with criticism or take things too personally, or there can be a combination of the two. We need to be able to disagree without it being personal. I know that I’ve personally adjusted my opinions on many Stranger Things theories based on the thoughts of others here. I thought I was right, but someone else’s take just made more sense and had more support. It didn’t mean that I was stupid, or that the other person was an ass.

I’ve been on the wrong side of it before, though. One time, for example, I pressed someone too hard for more and more support for their theories to the point that they became frustrated with me. I meant no offense, but I still had to accept that I was being a problem, even if I didn’t mean to be. I was simply unconvinced and was hoping they had more to reassure me, but I did a poor job of getting that across. I apologized, and I think we’re still cool, but it was a reminder to me that I can offend without meaning to, and that still warrants an apology and being more careful with my words.

I know some people think changing opinions is a sign of weakness, but I see it as a strength. It’s a sign of intelligence and humility to be able to acknowledge that you’re wrong about something. I started out early on feeling that Byler should be canon, but probably wouldn’t be. Over time, however, through analyzing the show and discussing it with others, I grew to be more confident in it. People were able to show me evidence that I just would not have been aware of had I not come to Tumblr. I’m not the type of person to watch and rewatch scenes to pick them apart or spot the tiniest details, but those who can do that allowed me to use my own skills to get into the psychology of the show.

I think we all have something to add to the conversation if we’re willing to listen in return. I appreciate being called an adult in the room, but I think we all could be if that just means being mindful of one’s words and how they affect others.

[serendipitous-magic]

Any HCs for older (30s/40s) / married byler? :)

Yes! And most of them are blatantly self-indulgent (don’t look too closely at Mike’s career path, I swear it’s not just me projecting), and I’m not even sorry. :) Let’s gooooo!

(Also, note: I took this in a very fluffy domestic direction, so sorry if anybody was really hoping for some NSFW HCs or wedding HCs or something like that - although I might be convinced to expand on that another time. ;) )

-As a young couple in their 20s they lived in a typical shitty apartment near where they went to college, but now as they’re getting more established and their careers are picking up, they’ve moved into something more similar to a townhouse / condominium in the city where they work. They don’t need an entire house, really, and besides, they’re usually not a huge fan of suburbia. If they did have a house, it would probably be one of those small-ish houses near the outskirts of the city - you know the type I mean. Lots of renovation expenses because it’s so old, but unique and cozy enough that it makes up for the hassle. I do tend to picture them in more of a townhouse/condo situation, though.

-Speaking of careers, they both got into something creative. Neither of them at all wanted to work in any type of office environment. Will fought tooth and nail to make a living with his art, which has made for some rough spots financially, but now that they’re getting through their 30s and into their 40s, it seems like it’s finally starting to even out and become more reliable as a source of income. He may do concept art for movie / TV / video game studios, he may do comic illustrations, he may do commissions, maybe a combination. 

-Mike, meanwhile, leaned into his passion for storytelling and his leadership skills - but I feel like Mike would wander in a couple different directions with that. Trying out this path, then this one - less of a cohesive, driven career path than Will’s, just trying things until he landed on something he really liked. Maybe he dabbled in computer engineering in college for a while (see: Mike’s nerdy mini-conversation with Bob about programming languages), decided that wasn’t quite for him, tried some creative writing classes, some film studies. Maybe he was a high school history or language arts teacher for a few years after college, what with his caring and nurturing instincts, his nerdiness, his leadership skills, his passion for stories (LotR, Star Wars, and D&D, anyone?), etc. But that probably wasn’t quite for him. Eventually, after having storytelling hobbies for most of his life, he starts integrating that into his career kind of on accident - and that’s when he hits on what he actually likes doing for a living. He consistently writes short stories on the side and submits them to magazines for publication. Maybe he uses something like commercial writing/directing as a stepping-stone, making heartfelt hit-you-in-the-feels and funny-memorable commercials for shitty instant coffee and cotton tee shirts, and that block on his resume is what gets him into The Business for real. From there it’s small-time TV  studios, sitting in a writers’ room hunched over cold coffee cups, chattering with a table full of other creatives about plot twists that will air on local stations. Or maybe he’s on set, wearing black jeans and a black tee that won’t reflect the light and mess up the shot, flipping through a clipboard of rumpled papers and hustling towards a fast-incoming deadline. Maybe he’s third-in-command on set, right-hand-man to the right-hand-man of the director. Continuity supervisor or art director. Or maybe he’s a practical effects guy, mixing up buckets of sludge or fake blood or figuring out a way to make a plastic-and-foam lobster puppet look alive. In any case, he’s doing something he really enjoys, and he’s steadily moving up in the ranks. Will swears he’s going to be directing blockbusters in Hollywood before they’re fifty; Mike always scoffs at that, laughing it off, but Will isn’t entirely joking.

-They have a medium-sized dog - something with a long snout and a long tail. Will counts himself as a dog person, but for a while there after the fall of ‘84, it was hard for either of them to be around big dogs without remembering the Demodogs. But it’s been decades, and somewhere in their late 30s (when they finally live somewhere with some form of backyard), they finally feel ready to get a puppy.

-Semi-regularly, they group-call the old Party and play D&D over the phone (much like The Adventure Zone). Sometimes one or both of them (Mike or Will) will be trying to do something else in the background at the same time - cooking dinner, working on a piece of art, etc. (Hey, they’re adults, they’re chronically short on time. Gotta multitask where they can.) This leads to occasional bouts of hilarity - like the time Mike almost knocked his entire laptop into a pot of spaghetti sauce because he was trying to DM and cook simultaneously. These over-the-phone D&D sessions are invariable merry and hilarious, cheering everyone up even after the worst of days. The Party is often spread out over the whole country - Mike and Will probably in one of the hubs of the storytelling industry (San Francisco or NYC), Dustin somewhere in the midwest doing scientific field work, Lucas still somewhere in or near Indiana, El and Max living in a new city every other year - but these phone calls bring them all together, and remind them of “simpler” times when they were kids in the Wheelers’ basement.

-Nancy is a highly successful journalist who travels a lot for her work, and whenever she and Mike / Will are in the same city, they make sure to meet up for coffee if not a day or two of old-times sibling shenanigans. Nancy has considered Will like a brother ever since they were teenagers, and that only strengthens as they grow older. But Mike, especially, reverts right back to a fifteen year old whenever his big sister is in town, throwing potato chips at her across the table and teasing her until she chases him with her soup spoon, and the whole time Will is just laughing with his face in his hands, pretending to be embarrassed but really just happy to see the two of them both happy.

-Similar situation with Jonathan. ^^^ He kept up his photography through the years, but like Mike, he’s wandered from career path to career path, just trying things out. (Whether he and Nancy are together depends on your own HCs, but be assured, whenever he’s in town he and Will are just as insufferable as Mike and Nancy.)

-It’s a long time before either (let alone both) of them feel ready to seriously consider kids. They both have a lot to work through after what they went through as kids themselves, and being a parent means being 100% there for someone else’s needs, often at the sacrifice of your own. Not to mention that with both of their creative-based careers, with not nearly as much financial stability as some of their peers, they’ve had some years where supporting just the two of them is a challenge. But eventually, they do get to the point where they start thinking about kids. I think they’d have at least one. Maybe they adopt, maybe they team up with El and Max (depending on how you HC the girls at that point) to do an in vitro deal, it depends.

-They visit Joyce and Hop (who are married) for Christmas. El and Max come home for the holidays, too. Joyce and Hop moved out of Hawkins together after all the kids moved away for college. Not too awfully far from Indiana, but far enough from Hawkins that they could leave the memories behind. Somewhere fairly rural, but not quite small-town. A large town or small-to-mid-size city, maybe, where they have a house with a big backyard and a big front yard and enough combined beds and couches to house all the “kids” over the holidays. 

-Ever since college, they go to Pride every year - most likely along with El and Max, if the four of them can arrange to meet up.

-Mike and Will still tease each other a lot and play-fight and they still tussle for the remote or the last fry, and they still have nerdy posters up in their living room, and they still trust each other more than anything else and they still geek out over their interests together and they still bicker and protect each other and love each other. So, really, not too much has changed since they were teenagers - they’re just in a better (read: much less homophobic) environment, working on their mental health, growing, healing from years-old traumas, doing what they love for a living (after decades of fighting tooth and nail to make it work), spending time with loved ones. Just living life. Taking new risks. Riding the ups and downs together. 

[kaspbrak-tozier-reddie]

The Band of Toziers

Click title for ao3

Send a quote and I’ll write a fic

Anon:

Storis, Mileven and Reddie story where Boris, Richie and Mike are cousins, brothers or something. Up to you. I don’t really care about the plotline. Go crazy. Thanks 😁

I chose to swap Mileven for Byler, sorry anon 😬😬

Summary:

Just a fluffy fic of Richie, Boris and Mike meeting each other and going on a road trip together before they all go to college.

Richie Tozier has a twin, Mike Wheeler, and a cousin, Boris Pavlikovsky. His cousin was adopted as soon as he was born and sent to Russia while his twin was sent to Maggie's sister, Karen, a week after birth as Maggie and Wentworth couldn't afford to look after another child.

After an upsetting hour down in the clubhouse, Richie drives back up to his house only to see a strange car and woman in the house talking with Maggie. Little did he know he'd get the best shock of his life.

*********

Straight after graduation the Losers Club head down to the clubhouse, beers and weed in hand. They run through the dense trees and shrubs. The crunching of fallen leaves beneath their feet echo through the thick green forest on the outskirts of town. All thrilled to finally get out of the hell town that is called, Derry. Ben reaches the hatch first and pulls open the wooden door waiting for everyone to enter into the bunker before making his way down the metal ladder and closing the hatch.

For once in 10 years, the Spring is scorching. The Losers had spent more time down at the quarry than ever before.

Between the odd jobs and studying for finals, they all managed to spend an hour or two down in the dirty water of the quarry with a bunch of other teenagers. Not once had the quarry been so popular, it had taken the 7 of them by surprise. But since people in Derry didn't have swimming pools, kids had started to migrate down to the quarry. But the barrens? The barrens are just for them. Nobody goes down into the forest.

*

Bev's the first to open the cooler that Richie and Mike carried down together from Richie's truck. "Anyone else?" She asks the 6 boys, only Richie and Bill raised their hands and passes them both a beer. Eddie hands Richie a bottle opener from his fanny pack that he tossed under the hammock.

"Thanks, Eds," Richie says cracking the lid off the bottle and taking a swig from it. Eddie repositions himself in a more comfortable position so that Richie's feet aren't digging into his side. Eddie stopped cursing out the nickname a year ago because no matter what, Richie will always call him 'Eds'.

They all sit in silence, not knowing what to say to each other since they're still processing their graduation.

None of them knows what each other's major is or college they're going to. Richie came up with the idea the week before their college responses came out. He suggested that they should wait until after graduation to share the colleges they're going to but the 7 of them are quiet. In the deafening silence, Eddie decides to reach for Richie's beer to take a quick swig from it and immediately cringes at the taste. "Bev, got anything else in there besides this piss?" Eddie asks.

"I got lemonade and a bottle of vodka," Bev replies.

"I'll go with that." Eddie watches as Bev mixes him a drink and hands him the cup. He feels the burn of the alcohol and slightly cringes but it passes within a second.

"How about we do what Richie said a few weeks ago?" Mike suggests.

"Or we can guess, write down the college and major and we pull one out at random," Ben says. They all agreed and Stan gets up to grab his note pad, pens and a shot of vodka. Even though they know each other's writing, it still would be fun.

Eddie leans right back and brings a leg up to lean the paper on, immediately writing down 'NYU: Business'. When Eddie had received his letter, he wanted nothing more than to rave about it to Richie since he knew that Richie wanted to study Arts at NYU. But little to his knowledge, Richie accepted the California State University letter, instead of the NYU letter.

As Eddie tosses the paper into Bill's graduation cap he notices a remorseful look on Richie's face. It's subtle and only there for a split second before it changes into a laugh. "Come on Stanley Urine, read out the paper," Richie says in a British accent, Eddie has to admit, it has gotten pretty good over the years.

"Princeton, English," Stan reads, "Bill no way! You got the scholarship?!"

Stan's the first who rushes to Bill to hug him before everyone else steps in and hugs him. It wasn't a secret that Bill was applying for writing scholarships to the big Ivy League schools. Even though Havard and Yale had turned him down, there was still hope for Princeton. When Princeton accepted his application he was quick to respond, not wanting to waste any time. Though this is one of the biggest secrets that have been kept from the Losers Club; the top one being, Richie's crush on a certain hypochondriac.

Bill reads the next one, "CSU, Arts." Eddie chokes on the vodka and lemonade, looking directly at Richie, his eyes wide and filled with shock, while Richie looks at him with repentance.

Everyone knows that the two planned on going to the same college or university, but as soon as Eddie broke into a coughing fit, everyone knew that he was not going to the same school. Eddie doesn't know how to live without Richie. Richie's the only person he needs that will support him alp him through a panic attack. The tall brunette is his rock, his 'brother' and the only person whose opinion matters to him. Even though the two are opposites, neither boy can live without the other.

"It's not too late to change, I can - " Richie starts.

"Rich, we'll just call each other once a week or something," Eddie says sadly and gets up and leaves the clubhouse.

The Trashmouth tries to follow Eddie out, but Stan holds him back. If there's anyone else who knows Eddie as well as Richie, it's Stanley.

Stan, being very observant with a keen eye for detail, knows more about each of the Losers than they know themselves. It's moments like these that Stan's talent comes in handy when Richie's impulsivity and emotional thinking clock over his rationale. Richie in his normal state would opt to give Eddie his space. However, repentance and years of pining together basically equal a mess.

"I think I'm going to go home," Richie says and is met with a stern look from Stan, "chill, man, I'm only going home."

****

Once he pulls up to his driveway, Richie notices a car, that he hasn't seen before, parked out the front of his house. He decides to sneak in through his bedroom window and climbs the apple tree that is coincidently directly out the front. It's the very tree that lets him sneak in and out, at the ungodly hours of the night, to go hang out with Eddie, without being caught. Because if he was ever caught, he'd be grounded for at least a month at most 3.

He throws his bag on the ground and hauls himself through the opening, accidentally ninja rolling as he gets his long lanky legs and rest of his torso through. The soft sounds of laughter echo up the stairs, making the curiosity take over Richie's cerebellum. He finds himself gravitating towards the stairs, the sound of laughter getting louder as he walks toward the kitchen. "Oh, Richie, honey!" Maggie exclaims. "I didn't here you come in."

"Yeah, I just got back," Richie replies sadly and turns towards the stranger. "Hi, I'm Richie," he holds his hand out for the woman to shake.

"I'm your Aunt Karen," the woman replies shaking Richie's hand. "Your brother is just in the bathroom, he'll be out in just a moment."

"B-b-brother?"

He doesn't have a brother and his mom doesn't have a sister. His grandparents died before he was born and his parents are both only children. There's no way that his mom has a sister and there is certainly no way he has a brother he doesn't know about. He's 18 and has no recollection of ever having a brother.

A tall brown-haired boy walks into the kitchen from the guest toilet downstairs. Richie's eyes widen, as he's faced with a young boy that looks almost identical to him. The only difference is, is the fact that he doesn't wear glasses. How is that possible? How is it possible that he has a brother that he didn't know about until today?

"Mike this is Richie, Richie this is Mike," Maggie says to the boys. "Mike's going to Cali too."

"Ma, I don't know if I wanna go to Cali, Eds he - " The strength, that he had upon leaving the clubhouse, left, his eyes start to tear up. "I can't - "

"You want to go to NYU for a boy?" Karen says surprised.

"Those two have been joint at the hip since they were 3, Eddie is like another son to me," Maggie says standing up for Richie and pulls him into a hug. "It's your decision baby. Nobody is forcing you to go to Cali and nobody is forcing you to go to NYU."

Richie nods and excuses himself to his room, he apologises to his brother and tells him that if he wants he can come up too. Mike turns down the offer, wanting Richie to be alone while he thinks things over and stays downstairs to talk with the adults.

*

"AHHHH! Fucking Hell Edward!" Richie screams placing a hand on his heart.

"RICHARD, ARE YOU OKAY?" Maggie yells.

"YEAH! EDDIE JUST SCARED ME!" Richie calls back down and quickly closes his door. "What are you doing here Eds?"

"I wanted to talk to you about college," the hypochondriac says.

Richie nods and slowly advances towards his bed, sitting down beside Eddie. The boy beside him turns so that he's now facing Richie. Eddie brings his legs up to his chest, and Richie takes it as a symbolic safety barrier.

"I know that it's your decision - "

"Eds, I made my decision. I thought about it all the way home. NYU has a better program. I chose CSU because I wanted to be close to the beach and didn't give two shits about the actual program." Richie explains. "Besides, I want to be with you."

"That's so gay Rich." Eddie laughs.

"Yeah well, I am gay so seems kinda fitting and I am madly in love with you - " He clamps a hand over his mouth, Eddie moves off the and slowly makes his way to the window.

Fuck!

Fuck!

Fuck!

"I am so so sorry, this wasn't how - fuck!" Richie states.

Eddie, finally realising what he's doing, stops himself from making another backward step toward the window. "Eddie, please say something," Richie mumbles but Eddie can't. It's like he's frozen, only his chest can move to breathe but other than that he's stuck in time, frozen in a shocked state. "Please, I can't lose you Eds."

"I like you too 'Chee but as I said, I'm not going to make you change to NYU," Eddie says.

"I'm going to make the phone call and try to get us a dorm together."

Eddie nods and watches as Richie phones both universities. Eddie can tell that Richie's on the verge of having a panic attack but manages to hold on to his sanity for the full half-hour that he was on the phone.

Once he is off the phone, Richie sets himself up on the NYU dorm site and waves Eddie over to the computer. Eddie walks over and helps Richie pick out a dorm room that has an ensuite. Sure it's a little more expensive, but it's better than contracting some sort of illness from a total stranger. Richie quickly books in for the room with an ensuite before their all occupied and requests to have Eddie Kaspbrak room with him.

*

"Oh before I forget, I need you to come downstairs with me," Richie says.

"What did you do?" Eddie asks. Richie shrugs and pulls Eddie down the stairs to the kitchen.

Eddie's a little concerned when he sees a woman and a boy. He's never met them and Richie has never spoken about a boy that looks identical to him

"Eddie, this is my brother, Mike and my Aunt Karen," Richie says, "I just met them today." Richie's essentially bouncing up and down with excitement as he introduces his boyfriend? Yeah, boyfriend, to his family that he just met 1 hour ago. "Aunt K and Mike, this is my boyfriend Eddie."

"Boyfriend?" Maggie asks, "when? Does Sonia know?!"

"Literally half an hour ago. No Mrs K has no idea," Richie replies.

" I don't think she will ever find out," Eddie replies and laces his hand in Richie's.

Maggie simply nods knowing to never ask Eddie about his mother's intents. She made that mistake once and the poor boy ended up crying. He had begged her to not call social services or the police but witnessing the distraught and panic that the 14-year-old boy had, it left Maggie no other option but to phone the police. However, Sonia was clever, she had managed to convince the officer that had shown up at her door, that there was no such issue. The pharmacist and the doctor all stated that there was nothing wrong but under the watchful eyes of Richard, Maggie and Wentworth Tozier, there was a lot wrong with Eddie's treatment. All three Toziers vowed to treat Eddie like he's part of the family wanting him to feel the right love and affection that he should've been getting from his mom.

And on this occasion, it's the same, but with Eddie now being 18, he doesn't have to listen to his mother. So he decides to talk to Maggie alone, taking her out to the back yard of her own home.

"Mrs Tozier, you don't mind if I stay here until college, do you? I am happy to stay in the guest bedroom." Eddie says.

"Of course not! You're 18 now and out of school," Maggie says. "If you think it's unsafe for you to be at home, you're more than welcome here." Eddie quickly says 'thanks' to her and is about to head back inside when she stops him. "And, please, we're on a first-name basis here Eddie, you've known us for 15 years!"

*

When Eddie comes back inside, he gets Richie to take him to his house to collect a few things. Richie begs Mike to come along so that he can drive him around town, to show him around. Mike agrees and laughs at Richie's enthusiasm. Richie darts out the door towards his white beaten-up truck, with his keys rattling in his pocket. Eddie laughs as Richie fumbles to unlock the truck. He honestly has no idea how Richie is so energetic all the time when the kid never gets enough sleep. He can only assume it's the coffee and energy drinks on top of his ADHD.

"Seat belts kids!" Richie sings as all three boys buckle up and Richie puts the car in reverse and sure enough, they're heading out down the street.

"You left the clubhouse early?" Eddie says quietly.

"I made you upset, I was going to follow you but Staniel stopped me," Richie replies. "How about we continue this later?" Eddie nods. Richie is quick to take Eddie's hand in his and runs his thumb over his knuckles.

It doesn't take long before the three of them make it to Eddie's house. "Mike, do you have your license?" Richie asks and his twin nods in response. "I will explain everything, but, as of right now, I need you to be our getaway driver."

As Richie gets out, Mike climbs over to the driver's side and gets behind the wheel.

Richie and Eddie climb up the tree that grows outside of Eddie's bedroom.

"Eds, take all your necessities," Richie whispers, knowing full well that Sonia is downstairs. Eddie grabs two backpacks and starts chucking clothes in them. He takes his soap and shampoo as well as his toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant and two bottles of cologne from the bathroom. Richie watches as Eddie grabs his stash of playboy magazines from underneath his pyjamas and shoves them into one of the bags, the tall brunette gulps loudly with nervousness.

Before he knows it, Richie is following Eddie out the window and racing towards the car. They jump straight into the back seat and Mike's driving off down the road.

Richie asks Mike to pull over when they're a few blocks away so that Richie can take over. "So why was I a getaway driver?" Mike asks.

"Eds' mom is ... how would you put it, babe?" Richie says.

"She's overbearing and smothering. She made me believe that I was sick up until I was 13." Eddie says.

"Sorry about your mom," Mike says.

"Don't worry about it. I've got a family that loves me." Eddie takes Richie's free hand in his, smiling up at him.

That's true, Richie thinks to himself. The Losers are always there for each other. Even though Eddie never disclosed the information about his mom to the Losers, they knew that he was afraid. Especially when he came out a year ago. Sonia tried to use her reason against him but Eddie knew better. Everything she ever told him was a lie, his illnesses, most of his allergies, the way the world was. She wanted him holed up in his bedroom for the rest of his life, only showing her his love and affection, nobody else.

But now he can run away and she can do nothing. He left a note on his door for her to read and that's that. The rest of his life begins now, and now he can do whatever the fuck he wants. "Rich, can we go down to the store? I want to bleach my hair," Eddie says. "We can show Mike around town too."

Richie smirks and takes a sharp turn towards the heart of the town.

**** By the time the three of them come back, with ice creams in their hands, there's another boy in the kitchen. Richie and Mike look to one another, there's no way that they have another brother. "Boys this is your cousin, Boris," Maggie says. Richie just about faints. This is all too overwhelming for the poor boy.

He just graduated today

Found out that the boy of his dreams is not going to the same university

He finally got the boy of his dreams

He changed universities and scored a dorm room with that said boy of his dreams

He met his twin for the first time

His boyfriend is running away from his mother

And now he's meeting his cousin for the first time. Add that to the list of crazy things that happened today.

"Hello, Richard, Michael," Boris' accent runs thick, he embraces the two tall curly-haired brunettes. "Nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you too Boris," Mike says and Richie just grumbles.

How is he meant to react? It seems odd, meeting a cousin and a twin brother, for the first time in 18 years. "Nice to meet you too, man," Richie finally says. "Why don't we go up to my room?"

Mike and Boris follow Richie and Eddie up the stairs.

It bewilders Eddie, seeing how there are now 3 variations of Richie.

Richie, the only one with glasses, will only wear Hawaiian shirts or flannels, jeans and converse. He changes into accents whenever he's telling a story or a joke just to make it funny. Not to mention his potty mouth where almost every sentence has a swear word in it.

Mike wears a bright coloured polo shirt with shorts. In Eddie's opinion, he looks like Stan but with brighter coloured clothes. He seems more logical and certainly isn't impulsive like his brother.

Boris is dressed in pure black. Black shirt, black pants, black socks and black shoes. Carries and umbrella and talks in somewhat cryptic sentences with a thick Russian accent.

Eddie watches as the three of them interact, and he can already see that Richie is the happy middle of the three. He's got the logic and intelligence as his twin but the badass and wit as his cousin. It's kinda funny but creepy, all at the same time. "Eds, why don't we invite the Losers over?" Richie suggests.

"Is that wise? Your family is probably overwhelmed by your egotistical persona," Eddie says. Richie gives him a look, "oh come on, you've talked yourself up all afternoon!"

"You don't think that do you?" Richie asks the two boys. Boris shakes his head but Mike hesitates.

"It's okay Mike, I found Richie very overwhelming, when I first met him."

"I don't mind meeting your friends. If they're anything like Eddie, I'm sure they're great," Mike says.

"Oh brother dearest, that is by far the overstatement of the year." Richie pauses for the dramatic effect (like he always does). "Eddie's the second loudest and second most annoying, Loser," Richie says.

"Who's number one then?" Boris asks.

"You're looking at him," Richie says, pointing to himself.

Eddie laughs and texts the Losers, telling them to bring themselves over to the Tozier household.